Role of Caffeine in Sports Nutrition
Caffeine is the mostly widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world. Its ingestion (3-9. mg/kg body weight) prior to exercise seems to increases performance during prolonged endurance exercise. The effects of acute caffeine ingestion on strength and power performance are equivocal, but some studies demonstrated positive effects in well-trained athletes or recreational subjects. Caffeine was part of the list of banned substances of the International Olympic Committee, but since 2004 has been removed from this list. The ergogenic effects of caffeine demonstrate a high interindividual variability with responders and nonresponders, and recent studies suggest that gene polymorphisms could account for this variability. The consumption of caffeine at moderate doses (up to 400. mg/day) by healthy adults is considered safe, with no associated side effects and some evidence of health benefits.
